1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a kit for an external door handle, in particular, for vehicles, comprised of a carrier to be fastened at the inner side of the door on an exterior door panel and of a handle which is mounted from the exterior of the door on the mounted carrier, wherein the handle, after having been mounted, is pivotably supported on the carrier and has at one end of the handle a shaft which can be pushed through a cutout in the exterior door panel. Accordingly, the kit is comprised of two initially separate modular units, i.e., a carrier to be fastened on the inner side of the door and a handle. After attachment of the carrier, the handle is mounted from the exterior side of the door on the carrier and maintains a pivotable support relative to the carrier. One end of the handle is provided with a shaft which can be pushed during mounting through a cutout in the door panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known kit of this kind (German patent 30 30 519 C2), the handle is a pull handle and is pivotably supported on the carrier with its end opposite the shaft. The shaft of the mounted handle penetrates the attached carrier and cooperates with lock levers provided on the inner side of the door.
It has already been suggested (German patent application 199 40 379 A1, unpublished) to use also the shaft for supporting the handle on the carrier. In this case, the handle is connected by two bearings on the carrier and, after having been mounted, is foldable relative to it about a horizontal or slanted axis. For this purpose, the carrier is connected with a bearing arm connected thereto in a pivotable way thus forming a modular unit. The bearing arm is comprised of a coupling receptacle for a coupling plug provided on the end of the shaft. In the engagement area between the coupling receptacle and the coupling plug a locking means is provided which is accessible through a hole in the door folding. In the locking situation, the coupling engagement is secured, and an unwanted demounting is prevented in this way.
In some applications, components are located in the coupling area between the end of the handle shaft and the bearing arm which make the locking means inaccessible. Such components can be, for example, a lock cylinder in the carrier or blind inserts used in place of it. In this case, the advantageous mounting by coupling between the handle shaft and the bearing arm on the carrier cannot be employed.
It is an object of the present invention to develop a universally usable kit which makes possible such a mounting by coupling also in the aforementioned unfavorable situations without any problems.
In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that, for supporting the handle, the carrier already has a pivotable bearing arm with a coupling receptacle; in that the shaft end of the handle is formed as a coupling plug engaging during mounting of the handle the coupling receptacle of the bearing arm; in that in the coupling area of the coupling plug and of the coupling receptacle a locking device is arranged which is accessible through a hole in the door folding of the exterior door panel and which secures the coupling engagement in the locking situation; in that on the bearing arm a movable locking member is arranged which is spring-loaded and has a locking location; in that the coupling plug has a counter locking location for the locking member on the shaft end of the handle; and in that the locking device is comprised of an adjustable obstacle which in the locking situation of the coupling projects into the restoring path of the locking member and locks the locking member in its locking engagement in the coupling plug.
This locking device of the locking means can be arranged at a spacing from the coupling locations. A spacing is selected which is sufficiently large in order to ensure access from a lateral hole in the door folding. In this way, obstacles in the area of the carrier, for example, the lock cylinder, can no longer impair access to the locking device. Advantageously, the locking means can be configured as follows.
According to the invention, the coupling engagement between the shaft end of the handle and the bearing arm of the carrier is pre-secured by locking means which during coupling and decoupling produce locking forces that can be easily overcome and which preliminarily determine the defined coupling position. This preliminary coupling position can be locked by an obstacle which blocks the locking movement of the locking means occurring during the coupling and decoupling action after completed coupling.
These locking means are comprised of a locking member which is moveably arranged on the bearing arm and spring-loaded. The locking member, in the coupling situation, projects with its locking location into a counter locking location which is provided in the area of the coupling plug. Accordingly, it is only required to move the aforementioned obstacle into the restoring path of the locking member in order to lock the locking engagement of the locking member in the coupling plug.
Further features and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the following with the aid of the drawings.